With much of the way of the world currently, cynicism is my focus today. We all probably see a lot of cynicism around currently and I wanted to write about it and really just suggest that we examine
how we think and how we believe on a daily basis to free ourselves from such cynicism.
The Cambridge dictionary defines ‘cynical’ as an adjective related to being disapproving, they define it as:
believing that people are only interested in themselves and are
not sincere:
She has a pretty cynical view of men.
I’ve always been deeply cynical about politicians.
used to say that someone’s feelings or emotions are used to your own advantage:
She works in that most cynical of industries – advertising.
He praises my cooking but it’s just a cynical ploy to get me to make him
dinner.
Some definitions relate cynicism to scepticism. My work involves applying healthy scepticism: To the way my clients explain away causes of their problems, to how my mentorees blame outside forces for their businesses not being as effective as they’d like, to the way people portray or talk about hypnosis in ways that are seemingly incorrect or fundamentally
flawed – healthy skepticism is part of thinking critically, effectively and is not to be mistaken for cynicism, the two are incredibly different and I hope to demonstrate why and how today. If you are interested in exploring the topic of critical thinking and it’s place within the field of hypnotherapy, then have a read of the following articles:
No one is born cynical. Nor are we obliged to become cynical or embittered as a result of life’s challenges, setbacks and heartaches. We can choose a different mindset to the presumed defaults of our circumstances and experiences.
If you look at your social media feeds, look at current world politics, look at newspapers and other news outlets of varying kinds, you might conclude that we have a cynicism epidemic currently and that we have lost faith in our fellow humans!
“There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he
has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.” – Maya Angelo
Cynicism stifles relationships of trust, because it is inherently distrustful. And we don’t get very far without trust. As Stephen M. R. Covey puts it, “Without trust, we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate. It’s trust that turns mere coordination into true collaboration It’s
trust that turns a group of people into a team.” No trust, no team; no team, no victory. In this information age, I believe we simply cannot afford cynicism.
Cynicism not only affects society at large, but it also contributes to psychological and physical well-being (or the detriment of that well-being). According to a recent study published in the American Academy of Neurology journal, people
with high levels of cynical distrust may be more likely to develop dementia. Because cynical and suspicious attitudes create a negative filter through which we observe our surroundings, when we are in this state, we tend to miss out on the many joys in life and lead to a rather slanted negative perspective on the world we live in.
Seeing others through the lens of cynicism also affects how we
see ourselves. How can we be cynical towards others and maintain genuine commitment to continuous personal improvement? How can we dream, aspire, create, and achieve our full potential with a cynical mindset? The way we see others informs how we see ourselves – the two are not isolated from each other.
“Watch what people are cynical about and one can often
discover what they lack” – George S. Patton
Many of us who have worked our professional lives alongside a variety of people have experienced cynicism. We’ve seen it in others, and if we look close enough, we’ve seen it in ourselves.
